, 1887-11-17
ROASTED INDIANS.
CREMATION AS PRAcTlceo BY THE
THLlNKeTs. OF ALASKA.

tiguous islands of southeastern AIuska,
the practice of cremation Is universal, cx-
cept in the case of shamans or medicine
men, whose spirits after death inhabit II
higher world apart from the common
herd, and slaves who are considered
scarcely worthy Of this distinction.
The Thlinket believes that shortly be
fore death the spirit OF some loved friend
gone before will appear to him, saying:
MY dear brother, or good friend, you can
last but a few suns longer, and 1t is best
so, for life is u hard; so be ready, for |
will soon come to lead your spirit to n
land where all is happiness"
With the last breath tidings go out to
the clan, who assemble with blackened
faces to mourn the dead, and in former
years the nearer relatives cut off the hair.
The corpse Is now dressed in the most
valued garments, the face decorated in
red and black, and placed In a sitting po-
sition, with back to the wall, opposite the
entrance. All the property Of the de:
ceased is now brought and piled on either
hand-the Thlinket counts his wealth in
blankets, kept stored away in camphor
wood or cedar chests. Masks, rattles,
robes, guns, hunting and fishing imple-
ments and dancing paraphernalia are
placed directly around; the head is sur
mounted by a grotesquely carved wooden
mask in totemic design, brilliant in its in
laying of holiotis shell and topped by n
semi-transparent forest of sea lion whisk-
ers, while over the body Is thrown q
highly ornamental blanket, woven from
the finer fleece of the mountain goat and
worked in black, white, yellow and blue
from old pattern boards that have been
handed down through generations until
the designs have become conventional.
For three days the dead remain n silent
spectator Of household affairs, which nave
to go on much as usual, as a number of
families live under the same roof. Wis
itors come and go, food Is prepared at the
common central fire, and children toddle
about, tumbling over the sleeping dogs;
but a general air Of quiet prevails until
nightfall, when the tribe assemble with
drum, rattle and dancing sticks, and to
their measured accompaniment keep time
in monotonous chant, eulogizing and la
menting the dead.
The scene is weird to a degree, the many
colored blankets, the blackened faces, the
walls hung with arms and fishing nipple
ments, the curiously carved and colored
house posts; while festoons of dried fish
and meat depend from the roof, and all
seen through the ftful flashes of the great
cracking fire of cedar logs, over which Mt
intervals oil is dashed to redouble the
effect.
For three nights this scene is repeated,
but on the third day the wealth of the de
ceased is distributed among the relatives,
each one receiving n certain portion, us
judged by popular consent.
The funeral pyre is now erected directly
in rear of the house or on the outskirts of
the village, in proximity to the shore.
Logs of the fragrant yellow cedar are now
brought and laid upon each other, forming
a hollow parallelogram seven feet long by
three wid At a height of from two to
three feet a flooring of logs is laid, leaving
air spaces between them, above which the
walls are continued for another foot. Be
meath the flooring and around the sides
kindling and spruce knots, saturated with
| gum, are placed.
All being in readiness, on this, the
fourth, day, the class assemble, a plank
is removed from the side or end of the
house, and through this opening the dead
is carried on a mat made from the inner
bark of the red cedar, for it is a strongly
rooted superstition among these people
hat should the body pass through the
doorway, that later the death spirit wOuld
return to claim more victims. As the
body is carried out an old woman takes
some Goals and burning fragments from
the fire and s~Catters them after it, to drive
away the spirit OF death and cleanse the
~passageway, and afterward throws out Il
dog to accompany its masters spirit to the
world beyond.
The procession now makes its way
slowly toward the place selected for Gre
nation, and when reached the body is
deposited on the raised flooring OF the
pyre and a torch applied to the ~resinous
splinters readily igniting the whole mass.
The women in full dancing habiliments,
consisting of a blue black blanket faced
with red cloth and ornamented with hun
dreds Of mother of pearl buttons, fancy
colored caps or headdresses of raven or
eagle feathers, immense earrings and nose
pendants, faces blackened and carrying
in the right hand a long pole, the end
decorated with sprigs of evergreen and
bright streamers, form in a half circle
about the head of the pile. The men,
with dancing sticks and ~rattles, are
grouped on one side. The nearer rela-
tives sit about promiscuously, moaning
and wailing. The older men lead the
chant or dirge, which is Joined in 10y ull.
and to its slow notes the womcu keep
time with the body swaying from side to
side and bowling in unison, reminding one
oil the famous sword dance of the Bedou-
ms.
Oftentimes the arms and personal be-
longings OF the deceased are thrown on
the fire, which, by means of long poles,
Is constantly stirred, and the chant con
tinues until the body is reduced to ashes
ana the logs consumed. TIL family col
lect any remains of bones and the sup
posed ashes, which are carefully deposited
in small decorated boxes or trunks coy
cred with cedar mating, corded with
spruce roots, and finally placed in dead
.huUscs or family vaults directly in rear of
the houses.
Every one now returns to the house,
where n grand feast is prepared, consist
ing Of dried salmon dipped in seal oil, her
ring spawn, potatoes, roots, berries, edible
sea weed, shell fish, seal meat and tallOw
from the fat of the wild goat of the
mountain, Food and grease are placed in
carved platters and consigned to the
flames. TO sustain the deceased spirit on
its weary journey. With the coming Of
night the men assemble, seating them,
selves around the fire, when the women in
full dancing costume file in, forming in
continuous Hnk around the walls, fncing
the audience of males, and repeat the
swnying, bowling dance previously enacted
at the cremation, keeping time to tn,
chant. This closes the funeral cere
monies, which have now lasted through
four days. The lead may be honoret
again in future years by a period Of dan
cling and Teasing. and the rebuilding of {
,1.pl1a,,a. T., T..,,~., ~.,,lr. 81 ,or,,,,-g.